Things we don't like on Fred!!

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Well, I'll be the villain then and start the thread for things we don't like on Fred. :(!!!

First of all, let me say that the week we spent on the Braemar was wonderful, my favourite cruise so far BUT 2 things that could have improved it:-

 

1) A fridge in the cabin

2) Food available on the first day. We arrived at lunchtime, having not stopped for something to eat on the way down to Dover, unpacked, went for a drink, then off to the safety meeting. By this time we were feeling peckish, went up to Palms Cafe, only to find they only had tea and biscuits. Apparently there had been snacks,but must have all gone before the safety meeting. I feel that as people are arriving through the day, they need to provide food through the day.

 

OK moan over :eek::eek: Right,lets see if we can get this to 3 pages - I doubt it:D

[Parsman]

My main dislikes are,

1. A small minority of "moaners" who find fault with everything often even before they board the ship.

2. Maintenance work being carried out on deck at times when there is beautiful scenery to view.

3. the fact that there are now no wine waiters.

4. No biscuits on the tea trays in the cabins.

5. No longer Christmas cruises from Dover.

 

These, apart from 1, are fairly minor. The plus points far outweigh these.:(

[Berkshire Lass]

I sort of agree with the aforementioned but my biggest 'moan' is that all the dancing is 'strictly ballroom'. I know there is (allegedly) a disco after 11.30 p.m. upstairs but I am usually ready for bed then. Perhaps the powers that be could realise that not everyone is over 70 years old in relation to their preferences for dancing and music.

[CRUISIN LINDA]

 

 

No biscuits on the tea trays in the cabins. :(

 

Better than Independence of the Seas - tea making facilities:) but no coffee sachets :(- even in the restaurants - so you have to take your own:eek:

[Dartmoordan]

Well, I'll be the villain then and start the thread for things we don't like on Fred. :(!!!

First of all, let me say that the week we spent on the Braemar was wonderful, my favourite cruise so far BUT 2 things that could have improved it:-

 

1) A fridge in the cabin

2) Food available on the first day. We arrived at lunchtime, having not stopped for something to eat on the way down to Dover, unpacked, went for a drink, then off to the safety meeting. By this time we were feeling peckish, went up to Palms Cafe, only to find they only had tea and biscuits. Apparently there had been snacks,but must have all gone before the safety meeting. I feel that as people are arriving through the day, they need to provide food through the day.

 

OK moan over :eek::eek: Right,lets see if we can get this to 3 pages - I doubt it:D

 

 

We were lucky we had a fridge in our cabin, maybe it depends where you are on the ship:confused: Our flight was delayed so didn't arrive until 20.00 hrs just in time for dinner, we were very hungry though.

 

My minor moans are

1. sun loungers could be updated,

2. room service menu could be wider only used it once and it wasnot brilliant.

3. have the casino open at least once, probably down to number of passengers, I do like just one flutter while I cruise:)

 

Can't think of anything else right now

[CRUISIN LINDA]

We were lucky we had a fridge in our cabin, maybe it depends where you are on the ship:confused:

 

We were on deck 3, as we are in February. No balcony cabins left even when we booked in August:eek:

[Popsey Wopsey]

Moaners and whingers,people who are lucky enough to afford a cruise,then continually whinge about it,in a loud voice for everyone else to hear.

 

IE, ITS NOT LIKE -P&O-CUNARD-THOMSONS well of course its not ,its like Fred. Olsen.

 

I listened to a speaker and a so called singer bemoaning the fact ,they weren,t treated as good as on Cunard.Their cabins etc.and the food.

 

The singer ,well Cunard could keep her and the ex.policeman speaker,s head was so big ,its a wonder he could walk.Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.:D

[monas queen]

Tipping.

Lack of wine waiters.

"Up-market" afternoon tea that has to be paid for.

[Dartmoordan]

We were on deck 3, as we are in February. No balcony cabins left even when we booked in August:eek:

 

 

Both our cruises with Fred were booked over a year in advance, tried for a late deal this summer but could't find both the itenary and the cabin we wanted, it seams everyone using Fred books early:):)

[Alibobs]

Lol, there were a lot of "moaners" on Fred, but they were still there, so can't have been that bad! One had broken her leg at the airport on a previous cruise and wasnt allowed to sail......not sure that was Freds fault but she seemed to blame him.....Another couple who were ar least in their seventies, and one was physically disabled said the Independence of the Seas was much better because it had " a High St like at home " and a " rock climbing wall"....hubby challenged them as to why this made a cruise better, they seemed hell benrt on dissing Fred rather than coming up with a reason

 

One (very snobby) at breakfast said you could only have dinner in the Grampian if you were a frequent cruiser and upgraded .......I said it was our first cruise and we were booked in the Grampian......she asked me if I was sure I didnt mean the Thistle.......told her I was definitely in the Grampian.....

[EMSOMICH]

You do not have to be over 70 to enjoy proper ballroom dancing. It is the sequence dancing that I do not like - probably because I am just over 70 and can't remember the sequences!

 

Sometimes we have been late into a port but, then, like most modern ships the speed is about 20 knots not like the good old QE2 which could always make up time as she could travel faster than any other ship.

 

I agree about the moaners but there are always people who aren't satisfied be it on land or at sea. One example I heard of this was on the Black Watch when, sitting at a table in a restaurant, a woman said, "I don't like sitting here with all these fat people pushing past me." She was rather overweight herself!

[monas queen]

Another couple who were ar least in their seventies, and one was physically disabled said the Independence of the Seas was much better because it had " a High St like at home " and a " rock climbing wall...

 

LOL. I have visions of an elderly person climbing the rock climbing wall with their crutches or a zimmer frame (or were they disabled because they had tried it and fallen off? :)

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Lol, there were a lot of "moaners" on Fred, but they were still there, so can't have been that bad! One had broken her leg at the airport on a previous cruise and wasnt allowed to sail......not sure that was Freds fault but she seemed to blame him.....Another couple who were ar least in their seventies, and one was physically disabled said the Independence of the Seas was much better because it had " a High St like at home " and a " rock climbing wall"....hubby challenged them as to why this made a cruise better, they seemed hell bent on dissing Fred rather than coming up with a reason

 

Well I have been on IOTS and Braemar and I know which one I would chose:D

Could this chap have climbed the wall then? :rolleyes: As for the "High Street" well, all they are there for is to get money out of you like most American ships:D

Well, they didn't get much out of us, we've got the measure of them now;)

And this is why Fred Folk are worried about the introduction of "Upmarket Afternoon Teas" and pre-paid gratuities:(

[Jammy Bun]

We've cruised 3 times with Fred (soon to be 4 !) and have always had a fridge, but I guess that's because of the grade of cabin. I do agree that all cabins ought to have a fridge, even if it's just one of those tiny ones that will fit a couple of bottles of wine/water in.

 

We did miss the wine waiter at the start of our last cruise, but soon got used to the new way of having to pre-order our drinks for dinner. I felt a bit sorry for the waiters who now have to take care of topping up wine glasses and ordering extra drinks, on top of all their other duties. We were told that this was the reason that the timing of first sitting had been brought forward to 6:15.

 

And that's one thing I definitely still don't like - but it's not unique to Fred - the choice of 6:15 or 8:30 dinner. One too early, the other too late! But I understand why it has to be like that, and the ship's which offer 'Freedom Dining' are generally speaking much larger and therefore much less attractive to us.

[Freecall]

Several posters have mentioned that FOCL has more than its fair share of ‘moaners’. I wonder if this is because they have more to moan about than most.

 

Personally I rather like the unique approach that the Brits have of knuckling down and getting on with it regardless of how bad things get.

 

.

[dthompsond1]

Having to leave the ship at the end of the cruise!

[Popsey Wopsey]

Having to leave the ship at the end of the cruise!

 

 

Absolutely.:D:D:D

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Having to leave the ship at the end of the cruise!

 

Agreed:):D:):D

[EMSOMICH]

I have just returned just returned from a short cruise on "Black Watch" and we oldies seemed to have more stamina for the diso than the younger passengers. My friend and I were there until after one o'clock every night.

[dnbnor]

just returned from a fabulous Carib. cruise on Braemar. I found the loud 'pop' music played at the Palms at lunchtime really annoying and several regulars commented that the notion that people need to be 'entertained' every minute of the day has gradually crept in on FO cruises over the last few years. I asked the waiter why he felt that the passengers (almost everyone over 60) might enjoy their lunch in a disco and he said that they have orders that where there is a bar there has to be music. It would have been lovely to have an outside meal and drink in peace and quiet. Otherwise the cruise was great.

[shevlen]

I sort of agree with the aforementioned but my biggest 'moan' is that all the dancing is 'strictly ballroom'. I know there is (allegedly) a disco after 11.30 p.m. upstairs but I am usually ready for bed then. Perhaps the powers that be could realise that not everyone is over 70 years old in relation to their preferences for dancing and music.

 

Oh Berkshire Lass! One of the reasons we cruise with Fred ( and we're nowhere near 70 yet!) is because of the ballroom dancing which has hosts to accompany those without dance partners.

The trouble we find with the ballroom dancing, is that there is not enough! A couple of short slots either side of the main evening meal 8.30 sitting is all we get. We'd love MORE not less!

[shevlen]

We would like some of the shore tours to be more 'hands on'. Most of them (if not all) are spent sitting in a bus or coach then wandering around looking at the scenery, (beautiful,agreed) the museums and temples ( fascinating, absolutely) or marvelling at the wildlife. All truly excellent, no question. BUT we would also like to DO something as well!

When FO cruised to one of the Caribbean islands, an organised tour took us to a rain forest where those who wanted to could experience the zip wire, zig zagging at speed to the bottom of the canyon.........scary but great fun! The long climb back to the top was quite shattering though :eek:

Perhaps watching 'Coach Party' on Channel 4 has given us a taste of what could be done with shore tours.

[westmorland sailor]

Totally agree with Shevlen that the shore trips could be more interesting and entertaining for those who want it. Our worst trip was around Lisbon in a howling gale with torrential rain. It was so bad we couldn't get out of the coach nor see out of the windows so it was a complete waste of money. I know they can't help the weather but if there had been some focal point to that trip instead of just driving around it would have made all the difference.

 

For example, the best trip we have done was Oporto where you do the river cruise (also in the rain but never mind) and the wine cellars - both interesting and entertaining. I also think that the description of the trips is sometimes a bit vague and they also err on the cautious side with their difficulty. Santiago de Compestella is classed as 'hard', I have a walking problem and found no difficulty with it at all. I suspect the 'hard' refers to the steps into the cathedral which are a bit daunting I have to say but perhaps they could qualify what they mean by hard so you have a better idea.

 

It was funny (although not for the people it affected) that the trip around Lisbon in the howling gale was classed as easy and suitable for those who had walking problems. What no one envisaged was the nearly 1 mile walk to the actual coach along a very wet and windy dockside, so really that classification for those who had mobility problems was useless. The end product of that was we left nearly 25 minutes late and came back only 5 minutes after the time we should originally have, so we didn't even get our full 3 hour tour.

 

I suspect shipping companies deal with tourist authorities in the country visited and it is they who decide what is best to see and experience. We are due to go away to Iberia again in April and this time I am going to be more circumspect about which trips to book.

[Parsman]

Totally agree with Shevlen that the shore trips could be more interesting and entertaining for those who want it. Our worst trip was around Lisbon in a howling gale with torrential rain. It was so bad we couldn't get out of the coach nor see out of the windows so it was a complete waste of money. I know they can't help the weather but if there had been some focal point to that trip instead of just driving around it would have made all the difference.

 

For example, the best trip we have done was Oporto where you do the river cruise (also in the rain but never mind) and the wine cellars - both interesting and entertaining. I also think that the description of the trips is sometimes a bit vague and they also err on the cautious side with their difficulty. Santiago de Compestella is classed as 'hard', I have a walking problem and found no difficulty with it at all. I suspect the 'hard' refers to the steps into the cathedral which are a bit daunting I have to say but perhaps they could qualify what they mean by hard so you have a better idea.

 

It was funny (although not for the people it affected) that the trip around Lisbon in the howling gale was classed as easy and suitable for those who had walking problems. What no one envisaged was the nearly 1 mile walk to the actual coach along a very wet and windy dockside, so really that classification for those who had mobility problems was useless. The end product of that was we left nearly 25 minutes late and came back only 5 minutes after the time we should originally have, so we didn't even get our full 3 hour tour.

 

I suspect shipping companies deal with tourist authorities in the country visited and it is they who decide what is best to see and experience. We are due to go away to Iberia again in April and this time I am going to be more circumspect about which trips to book.

 

Whilst not disagreeing with you generally there are occasions when passenger pressure overcomes the too strict organisation of shore tours. Last year on a three-day shore tour in China (on the "Balmoral" Northern world cruise) some of us broke loose in Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden city in Beijing and had an even better view of Chinese life. On an earlier cruise in the Indian Ocean (off the "Black Watch") many of us mutineed on a glorious beach by refusing to leave the sea after a ludicrously short stop. We managed to transform a merely sightseeing coach trip into a memorable time in paradise. It can be done.:)

[hassop]

Not been on Fred for a number of years...............will not be going again especially if the wine has disappeared along with the waiters :mad: Will some kind soul put me in the picture re drinks with Dinner as we are due to go on Braemar soon'

 

Many thanks..... hassop